Looking and Feeling Your Best

 It's a new year.  New resolutions.  New goals.  New outlooks.  I'm right there too!  With a new year brings new hopes.  A sense of a refreshed start.

Every year one of my resolutions/goals is to 1) lose weight by 2) exercising more.  But here's my problem.  I don't like to exercise if it feels like exercise.  I can't just go to the gym or pop in a DVD, because that is exercising.  Give me a garden to weed (not my own though) or furniture to move and I'm in!  Because that doesn't feel like exercising.  So what are some other ideas or suggestions that I found?

1. Dance the night away - Yes, I admit, I'm totally jealous when I see the folks that are part of any of those dancing shows.  But for me personally, I have 2 left feet.  I even took ballroom dancing in college to try to get help.  It didn't help.  I can do a mean sprinkler move though, so I have that going for me.  But apparently, dancing is one of the best ways to burn calories, tone muscles, and feel incredible. Maybe I need to work on my lack of skill in the comfort of my own home.  With the blinds closed.
2. Take the long way home - No, that doesn't mean drive the long way home and waste expensive gas.  It means, walk to places that are within walking distance instead of driving.  I do this.  Sometimes at least.  I walk or jog the entire .3333 miles to the post office to get my mail.  And I take my little plump doggy too.  She needs it just as much as I do.  I haven't been brave enough to walk the 1/2 mile to work, only because it's down the busiest roads in town.  Scary!
3. Nature Calls - You know those perfectly beautiful days in the spring?  The days that you just yearn to be outside doing something since you finally can without freezing or the sun going down early.  Yea, so do that.  Go outside and do something.  Go hiking, walking, or whatever.  I'm pretty darn lucky.  2 hours from Yosemite, 2 hours from the ocean, 2 hours from San Francisco.  In 2 hours, I could be anywhere but home and walk around enjoying the scenery, different scenery.
4. Sporty Spice - As a kid, did you play any sports?  Or enjoy any physical activities?  Me you ask.  Sure...  There was that one year in 5th grade I played soccer.  I could kick a mean soccer ball, but I couldn't run around chasing it for the duration of the game.  And I ran cross country one season.  Then I realized I couldn't run the duration of the meet.  (See a trend here.  And why do I want to run a 5k?)  One thing I loved doing though, was roller blading.  In fact, I still have them and plan on pulling them out one of these days.  Here's some trivia for you, did you know you can burn 400 calories per hour fishing?  I know, crazy!

So there you have it.  Easy ways to get out and get moving.  By getting off the couch and moving those limbs can improve your fitness level, reduce stress and increase happiness.  So...what are you waiting for...?

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